At Virtue's End
by mothmanwearstiaras
Summary: "Every villain is a hero in his own mind. If we had followed Negan from the beginning we'd all be rooting for him." Negan origin fanfic. AU with some canon thrown in for good measure. Negan x OC.
1. Chapter 1

At Virtue's End  
 _ **By tiaras-and-pterodactyls**_ _  
_ _ **-**_ _  
Every villain is a hero in their own mind.  
If we had followed Negan from the beginning we'd all be rooting for him.  
_ _ **-**_

Author's Note:

First and foremost, thank you so much for even giving this fic a shot. I've read a lot, a LOT, of amazing Negan x OC fanfic and I know that there is a ton out there to choose from so from the bottom of my heart, thank you!

My intent with this story is to write a completely AU Negan origin fic with some canon thrown in there for good measure. We're starting this story out right before the outbreak and my intent is to follow Negan's story all the way through to where we currently are in the TV series. Most stories I've read have started well in to the apocalypse with The Saviors & Sanctuary already established, I want to write about what happened to get us there.

The first few chapters are a lot of world building, introduction to characters... things like that. Bear with me, we'll get in to things pretty quickly but I also don't want to go too fast and have the story seem rushed. I am in this for the long haul and hopefully, if I can do what I've got in my mind any justice whatsoever, you all will be too.

Happy reading!

* * *

 _Chapter One: Before the Fall_

The night was dark and all was quiet. The stars were shining bright in the sky above the old farm house and the crickets were busily playing their songs out in the woods somewhere. The brook babbled away out behind the house and an owl gave a startled hoot as the silver car navigated the twists and turns of the long loose gravel driveway.

Outside of the car everything was calm, peaceful even... but the girl inside of the vehicle was anything but serene.

She pulled her car to a stop in its normal spot near the end of the driveway. The headlights died as the key was removed from the ignition and Samantha's hands quickly found the rear view mirror. She turned its reflective surface towards her face and sighed. She was a mess. Her bright blue eyes were stained red around the edges and the tears she refused to let fall were just as fresh now as they had been when she had started her drive. Her dark brown hair was a tangled mess from the wind that had been running through it and her makeup had turned in to a blotchy mess of stains upon her face. She couldn't go inside looking like this. Her grandmother would know that something was wrong right off the bat and the last thing that she wanted to do right now was worry her... in fact, all she really wanted to do was take a hot bath and crawl in to the familiar bed of her childhood home.

She wiped delicately at the smeared makeup under her eyes and pulled her hair in to a ponytail before grabbing the overnight bag from her passenger seat and climbing out of her car. She threw the door shut with a resounding thud but stalled for a moment when she heard the unmistakable sound of his truck making its way down the driveway. She knew he would follow her, she would have been stupid to expect anything less, but that didn't change the way that her heart fell to the pit of her stomach as she heard his steady approach.

"God, help me." She whispered to herself with a shake of her head. Another confrontation was the last thing she needed but she could already feel her body gearing up for the argument that was sure to come.

She was briefly illuminated by the harsh white of his headlights as he pulled his truck to a stop closely behind her own vehicle. She forced herself not to look his way as she lifted her chin, straightened her back, and began the short walk that stood between her and the temporary sanctuary that awaited her inside the house.

"Samantha!" The truck's door slammed shut as he exited its cab. She could hear the crunch of the loose gravel beneath his heavy boots as moved quickly to catch up to her. "Come on, Sam! Just fucking talk to me!"

"No, Negan." Her voice was steady and strong in its response. She was done for the night, the time for this conversation was over.

"Come on, babe!" He chuckled lightly and the sound of it rose her hackles in an instant. "It's really not a big deal!"

"Not a big deal?" She turned on her heel to face him. "You're seriously trying to tell me that what happened tonight was not a big deal?"

"It was a fucking bar fight, Sam!"

"This isn't about the bar fight, Negan!" She was near yelling now, her voice matching his in both volume and tone. "It's about you still seeing your ex-mistress!"

"I am not seeing-"

"You have been lying to me for weeks now and you have the audacity to stand here and tell me that it's not a big deal!"

"I didn't lie to you Sam! I just..." _Fuck._ "I just didn't tell you."

"Oh," her voice was laced with sarcasm as the tears reformed within her eyes, "well that makes everything better!"

"Sam, I swear-"

She shook her head and let out a rough, painful sounding scoff. "I can't even look at you right now."

She turned on her heel and moved swiftly towards the front door but she could immediately hear his rapid footfalls as he steadily gained on her from behind. She made her way up the front porch steps quickly but he was within arm's reach of her before her hand had even found the doorknob. She tried to pull the door open but before it was more than a few inches ajar his hand shot out from over her shoulder and firmly forced it shut. She turned on her heel, fully prepared to book it back to her car or to do anything she had to just to get herself out of there and away from him but his hands moved to either side of her body and his strong arms instantly formed an effective cage around her before her first step. She was trapped, pinned to the front door, and she had no other choice but to meet his eyes as he spoke.

"I am _not_ still fucking _seeing_ her, Samantha." His voice was low and gruff, nearly a growl as he stared down at her. The tiny green flecks within his dark brown eyes all but sparkled as they caught the porch light and set a certain type of fire to his gaze. "She got her job back at the dealership. I work in the shop. Sometimes our paths fucking cross. It's not often but sometimes. Neither one of us fucking likes it and when we do have to speak it's short, sweet and to the damn point. That's it. What the _fuck_ am I supposed to do?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Samantha's voice was strong and her eyes were just as hardened as his.

"You're fucking serious?" Her eyebrow rose ever so slightly and her challenge was obvious. "This." His right hand moved to gesture between them. "This _beautiful_ shit show of a situation we've gotten ourselves in to _right fucking here_ is why I didn't tell you."

"You never lie to me, Negan." She gave his chest one solid push, forcing him to step back and give her some semblance of space. "Why would you now unless there was something to hide?"

"You're really fucking accusing me of..." he trailed off as his fist collided solidly with the wooden doorframe to her right. "I am not fucking cheating on you, Sam."

"What the hell am I supposed to think, Negan?"

He scoffed as he lowered his head, shaking it in frustration before lifting his gaze and staring her directly in the eyes once more. "You really think that after all the bullshit I've been through-"

"Don't!" Samantha said fiercely, her finger rising to point at his face. "You did this, not me. Do not turn this around and act like I'm the one with the problem here."

"I can't fucking believe this shit."

"Yeah?" Samantha asked. "I'm sure Diana couldn't believe it when you were stepping out on her either."

And in that moment, everything changed.

Negan didn't speak. His eyes remained locked with hers for what felt like an eternity and his expression changed from one of anger to shock and then back again. His hands turned to fists at her sides as his jaw clenched in frustration and barely contained anger.

"Once a cheater, always a cheater, that it doll?" His voice was low and quiet as he pushed himself away from the door and took two slow, deliberate steps backwards.

"Negan-"

"Low blow, kid."

"That's not-"

"Low. Fucking. Blow." He annunciated each word before turning from her and making his way down the porch steps.

Samantha wasn't sure what kept her there. She felt glued to the spot as he stalked towards his truck and she knew that she would be damned before she ran after him. He had made this mess, not her, and despite the peculiar numbness that washed over her body as she watched him go she would not give him the satisfaction of her groveling.

"Maybe you _should_ stay here for the night, Samantha." He said as he turned back to look her way from just outside his truck. "Figure out what the fuck it is that you want from me because this shit," he gestured between the two of them, "this is not what I fucking want."

His eyes left hers as he pulled the driver's side door open harshly. He climbed inside and slammed the door shut behind him. The engine roared to life and she did nothing but watch as he roughly threw the gear shift in to reverse. His foot found the gas and he made quick work of the turn it took to point him in the right direction before taking off in to the night faster than what was normal on the small, winding road.

Her entire being worked on autopilot as she lowered herself to sit gently on the old wooden steps of the porch beneath her. She leaned against the pillar to her right and let her head fall to her hands.

How the hell had this even happened?

It had started out just like any other Wednesday night at The Red Oak Tavern. She had arrived at 2:45 and was out on the floor, ready for her shift promptly by three. The local watering hole had proven to be a decent place to work and the locals were always good to her as far as tips went. She had known most of her coworkers since grade school and the owner, Russell O'Brien, was a fair boss who everyone knew by name... hell, everyone knew everybody in the small historic town of Widow's Ridge.

The first two hours of her shift had been slow, a normal thing for an early afternoon, but by half past five business had picked up with the usual crowd of post workday nine to fivers. A couple of teachers from the high school sat in a booth towards the back and the guys from the construction crew working on Mrs. Leary's back porch took the two booths behind them. Dr. Adkins was sitting with his wife at a high top next to the jukebox and more than a few twenty-somethings from the local college filled the tables around them. James McCallister had taken his normal seat front and center at the bar and a few of the other salesman at the car dealership he worked for flanked him on either side. Another ring of the bell above the tavern's heavy oak door announced the arrival of the guys from the auto shop, right on time, and most of them headed towards a booth by the pool tables.

Negan, on the other hand, bee-lined it straight towards her.

He was tall, tall and built with a set of espresso eyes that even after all this time could still make her blush when he worked them the right way. His dark hair and salt and pepper beard added to his manly persona almost as much as the black leather jacket he was rarely caught without did. His dark wash jeans and heavy black boots brought his entire appearance together and wrapped it up in a very bad-ass bow.

Without a second thought, Samantha pushed through the swinging gate that separated the back of the bar from the rest of the tavern and approached him with a smile on her face.

"And there she is!" He said as he reached her and she could already tell he was in a particularly good mood today. His arm reflexively wrapped around her waist and his hand found the small of her back as he pulled her in close and lowered his lips to hers for a quick kiss.

"How was your day?" She asked.

He shrugged as his typical flirtatious smirk began to pull at his lips. "Better now."

"Ughhhhh, get a room!" Both heads turned to their right and their gazes immediately landed on the petite blonde at the other end of the bar. She gave the couple a quick, friendly wink before returning her attention to filling her table's drink order.

"That friend of yours," Negan said as he turned back towards his girl, "she is something else."

Samantha laughed as she turned and began walking back towards the bar. Negan followed easily in tow and leaned on his forearms against the counter as she had made her way behind it.

"You closing tonight?" He asked.

She nodded. "Unfortunately."

"That's alright," Negan said as his grin grew just a little wider, the gleam in his eyes unmistakable as he whispered across the tabletop, "gives me a little more time to find that room your friend suggested."

It was Samantha's turn to give him a little smirk of her own. "Something wrong with the one at our place?"

"Not at all, baby doll. Not at all." He pulled back just enough for his proximity to her to be seen as casual to anybody looking their way. "For now, I'll just have my usual."

"You got it."

Negan gave her a quick wink before straightening himself up and heading to join the rest of his crew around the pool table. The gait of his walk oozed confidence as he approached the other guys and Samantha couldn't help the small smile that refused to be hidden from her face as she watched him go. When she caught the judgmental scowls coming from the group of ladies at the booth across the room, however, she quickly turned her face away. She could already feel the blush rising to her cheeks as she straightened her back and turned on her heel in an attempt to flee their prying eyes but the solid smash of a body coming in to contact with hers had her stopping in her tracks.

"Woah!" The same blonde from before yelled as Samantha collided with her and her tray full of drinks.

"Jesus! Sorry, Candice!" Samantha exclaimed, her hands darting out on their own volition to catch the two glasses closest to her before they could fall to the ground.

"What the hell was that about!?" Candice asked as she lowered her tray to the bar's surface and looked her friend in the eye.

"Table twelve." Samantha tilted her head in the direction of the women still openly staring their way.

Candice glanced towards the booth and Samantha saw her brow furrow the moment she realized the situation. The table in question consisted of Karla Johnston, Elizabeth Warren, Nancy Parker, and Meredith Dickens. Each was a house wife and stay at home mother on their own but together they formed they most productive rumor mill disguised as a book club that Widow's Ridge had ever seen. If there was a juicy piece of gossip in that town those women knew it first and they did everything within their power to spread it far and wide. Negan and Samantha had been their favorite item to talk about for months and by the way they were already whispering amongst themselves that fact wasn't likely to change anytime soon.

"Seriously? They're still pulling this crap?" Candice asked with a shake of her head and a gentle scoff. " It's been a year, ladies! It's time to move on!"

Samantha glanced over her shoulder and took in the new expressions of shock and horror adorning the ladies' faces. She could hear the whispers of 'I never' and similar statements of disbelief from clear across the room but she turned back to Candice with a smile. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Candice said before throwing her tray back on to her shoulder, giving Samantha's hand a quick and reassuring squeeze, and heading off towards her waiting table.

Widow's Ridge was a quintessential small town. It was quiet, not much happened there outside of local sporting events and annual festivals celebrating this, that, or the other thing. Everyone knew everyone's business and when something as scandalous as an affair was thrown out in to the open the rumors tended to travel fast. News of Negan's long-term extra-marital relationship with Elena Lewis had seemingly come out of nowhere and it had piqued everyone's interest. The people in town had wasted no time in choosing a side and no one was above talking about it. Diana, Negan's now ex-wife, had taken to her newfound role of the innocent victim quickly and with ease before hotfooting it out of town and moving to a pretty cottage in the woods somewhere in Ohio with her new beau. Elena, the sinful seductress, had made amends with her husband and the rest of the town seemed to forgive her once he had taken her back. Negan, on the other and opposite hand, still seemed to struggle with the mud his name had been raked through on a daily basis.

The men of the town as a collective whole were over the ordeal rather quickly for the most part; Negan had coached most of their sons in one sport or another throughout the years and he had really done them no real wrong. The women on the other hand, the mothers and wives and friends that Diana had spent her life around, were a completely different story. They seemed determined to hold on to that grudge until their dying day and were doing a pretty good job of it so far.

The moment he had gotten involved with Samantha, the typical and sweet girl next door who happened to be a whole ten years younger than him, the story had gotten even juicer. The book club had descended upon them like a pack of wolves and gobbled the story up whole. By this point Samantha was all but used to the sideways glances that she would get from his ex-wife's former friends and after putting up with it for all this time the whispered words about their relationship had almost stopped bothering her... almost.

Samantha chanced one quick look in Negan's direction. Her glance in and of itself was enough to prove that he had seen the entire thing. His eyes narrowed at her in an obvious question and all she could do was give him a quick, albeit shaky smile and a slight nod of her head before forcing herself to get back to work. He wasn't stupid, furthermore he wasn't deaf or blind, he was just as aware of the things that were said about them as she was. The difference between the two was that while Samantha could let most things go and turn the other cheek, Negan was fiercely protective. In his mind, they could say whatever they wanted about him but the moment Samantha's name was mentioned it turned in to a whole other ball game.

She sighed.

In hindsight, her first clue that the night was going to turn ugly should have been the way Karla Johnston had jumped up from the booth after Candice's confrontation and ran straight towards James McCallister. James was Diana's brother and the only person left in town who could honestly say that they hated Negan as much as she did. To his credit, James had kept his cool for almost the entire rest of the night. It wasn't until close to the end of her shift that the situation had started to hit the fan.

Negan had decided to hang around until closing time, a somewhat regular occurrence that saved Samantha the solo fifteen-minute walk back to their shared townhouse just off of Main Street. It had been a busy night and when Samantha had finally gotten the chance to take a break she had thought nothing of grabbing the open seat at the bar next to Negan. She had ordered her usual Chicken Caesar wrap from the kitchen for dinner and everything was fine... Well, everything had been fine up until the moment that Negan had absentmindedly placed his hand against the small of her back as he talked to one of the other men at the bar.

It was such a small gesture, something that had happened in front of God, James, and everyone else in the bar a thousand times over, but for some reason tonight had been the night that the small display of affection had caused James to scoff in disgust. Samantha had felt the aura of the room shift immediately and she sent up a silent prayer to whoever was listening that Negan would simply ignore it... no such luck would be coming her way this evening.

"You got a fucking problem, McCallister?" Negan had asked, his smile never faltering as he turned his entire body towards the other man.

"Yeah, yeah I do," James had responded as he turned towards Negan in a similar fashion, "me and half the other people in this town."

"Negan," Samantha had whispered as her hand came to rest on the strong muscles of his forearm, "don't. Just let it go."

Her only response from him was his free hand coming to rest on top of hers for the briefest of moments before he stood from his bar stool and took a step towards James. "Scoffing at a lady, that's just fucking rude. Says a lot about your upbringing."

"My upbringing?" James said as he stood as well. "You cheated on your wife, you piece of shit. If anyone's upbringing should be brought in to question its yours."

"Really guys?" Samantha said as she rose to her feet and stood between them. Her hands rose to either side of her in an attempt to keep the men as far apart as possible. "We're bringing each other's upbringing in to this? What's next, insulting each other's mothers?"

She could see Russell taking notice from across the room and he quickly moved towards the situation.

"You don't like me?" Negan continued as if he hadn't heard her. "That's fine. I don't fucking like you either. Your issues are with me, not with her. You've got a fucking problem? You bring it up with me. We can step outside and handle this like men."

"You want me to bring it up with you? Fine." James turned his eyes away from Negan and looked directly at Samantha. "Does she know you're seeing Elena again?"

That was the moment that everything went to shit.

Before Samantha could even turn to look at him, Negan had moved past her and slammed his fist in to the side of James' face. She wasn't sure who's hands had grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away from the brawl but the next thing she knew she was a good ten feet away while Russell had jumped right in the middle of it along with the three other men that had still been hanging around the bar jumping in to assist him. She heard the sound of breaking glass and then there was blood on the floor. By the time the two men were torn apart James' nose was definitely broken and Negan's left eye was already beginning to bruise. There was heavy breathing all around as the two men were pulled to opposite sides of the room and Russell had no choice but to have Candice call the local sheriff.

When the flurry of motion had finally stopped all Samantha could do was look at him. Negan was hurt, but not badly. Her first instinct of making sure that he was okay quickly fled and made way for the fight or flight type of response that had taken control of her for the remainder of the night. She was somewhat aware of the fact that he had called out to her but she hadn't listened to a single word he'd said. She had merely grabbed her jacket and bag from behind the bar and left as quickly as she could. She had barely even thought about what she was doing but the next thing she knew she was in their bedroom packing a bag and then she was out the door and heading in the direction of her grandmother's house.

Her cell phone buzzed from within her jacket pocket and effectively brought her out of her reverie. She saw Candice's name flash upon the screen in bright white letters and Samantha unlocked her phone to read the text that she had been sent.

 _Candice:_

 _I hope you're okay. Call me if you need anything. 3_

Samantha typed a quick reply before shoving her phone back in to her pocket. It was getting later by the second and she knew that she at least had to let her grandmother know that she was here before she could get herself to that bath that was so desperately calling her name.


	2. Chapter 2

At Virtue's End  
 _ **By mothmanwearstiaras**_ _  
_ _ **-**_ _  
Every villain is a hero in their own mind.  
If we had followed Negan from the beginning, I'd bet we'd all be rooting for him.  
_ _ **-**_

Author's Note: More world building. Start of some action.

 _Chapter Two: Here's to the Nights_

The foyer was dark as she opened the front door but Samantha could immediately see the dim light coming from the living room at the back of the house the moment she stepped inside. Her grandmother's house was a quaint little thing with a long main hallway flanked on either side by doors and archways that opened in to the various rooms on the first floor of the house. The master staircase sat towards the back and to the right and lead to the multiple bedrooms that made up the second floor. The old and antique furniture set within each room had been there for as long as Samantha could remember and were all it took to take the old Victorian from just a beautiful house and make it feel like home.

"Gran!" Samantha called as she shut the door behind her. "Gran, it's me!"

"Sammy?" She could hear the creaking of the old recliner as her grandmother got up. With a flick of a switch, the hallway lights brightened and bathed the walkway in their soft, golden hue. "Oh, Samantha! What a wonderful surprise!"

Samantha smiled as her grandmother shuffled towards her down the hall. She was a good foot or so shorter than Samantha, she had the bright white hair of any respectable woman her age, but nothing could take away from the striking brilliance of the bright blue eyes God had seen fit to bestow upon all the women of the Quinn household. She had put on a little extra around the middle in her later years, that much was true, but there was no one anywhere too blind to see the obvious familial resemblance the two women shared.

The old woman pulled Samantha in to a tight hug, an embrace that Samantha returned wholeheartedly. She was warm, she always had been, and for the first time that night Samantha felt a sense of calm come over her. After a few moments, the two pulled apart and Samantha saw her grandmother's eyes dart towards the overnight bag still slung over her shoulder. "Plan on staying long?"

"Do you mind?" Samantha asked though she already knew the answer.

"Oh no, dear, not at all!" Her grandmother said as she began to make her way towards the kitchen. "I'll just make us up some tea and you can tell me all about whatever it is that brings you here."

"I don't want to trouble you with all that." Samantha said as her hand rubbed against the sore and tightened muscles at the back of her neck. "I just think I could use a night or two in my old room."

"Trouble in paradise?" Her grandmother threw over her shoulder as she continued her trek.

"Something like that."

"Hmm." The old woman hummed her understanding with a subtle nod of her head. "Wine then, we'll forget the tea."

Samantha couldn't help the quiet laugh that escaped her lips, she certainly wasn't going to say no to that.

The front door to the townhouse swung open and hit the wall behind it with a bang. Negan was pissed and he didn't quite care who knew it. He removed his keys from the lock and tossed them on to the end table by the couch without even looking in its general direction before slamming the front door shut once more.

The entire night had just been one beautiful fucking disaster after another and he needed it to end. It wasn't his fault that his boss had hired Elena back at the dealership, he was just as pissed off about it as Samantha was, but she was over reacting and he was not in the mood to deal with her accusations. He had been taking care of the situation just fine on his own and if James McCallister had just kept his damn mouth shut...

It didn't matter, he thought to himself with a shake of his head, Sam knew all about it now and if this was how she was going to let it play out then fine. He'd be more than happy to oblige her in her dramatics.

He stalked straight for the kitchen, flicking the lights on as he went, and grabbed a much needed beer from the fridge. He cracked the bottle open without a second thought and made quick work of chugging down half the bottle in one go before walking back in to the living room and all but collapsing on to the couch. He took another swig of his beer before resting his head against the soft gray cushions and bringing his hand to settle across his eyes. He knew he was a mess, he could feel the swelling around his left eye and he knew there was blood in his hair but right now he didn't really give a shit. All he wanted to do was finish up his beer, maybe one more after that, pass out and deal with all the bullshit in the morning.

He could remember the day he had met her, truly met her, as if it were yesterday. It had been a quiet day at The Red Oak Tavern and she had been working the lunch shift. He had arrived earlier than usual after a particularly disheartening meeting with his divorce attorney and any son of a bitch with half a brain would have been able to pick up on his foul mood from a mile away. Most of the people in town had kept their distance from him on a good day, not even Russell had dared to approach him on that one, so when the cold mug of beer had been set in front of him from seemingly out of nowhere he hadn't even looked up.

"I didn't order that." He said gruffly as he pushed the mug away from him.

"I know that you didn't." He had seen her hands then, small and slender things with long delicate fingers, as they wrapped around the side of the mug and pushed it back towards him. "It's on the house."

Then, and only then, had he looked up towards the face that belonged to those hands.

His first thought had been that she was gorgeous, a true beauty that he didn't mind setting eyes on. She was a slim girl and her 'uniform', if you could call the black tank top and low rise jeans that, clung to her curves in all the right places. Her skin was on the fair side and she had a slight dusting of freckles crossing the bridge of her nose that Negan may not have noticed had he not been looking hard enough. Her long brown hair framed her face in the most perfect way as she tucked a lock of it behind her ear but those bright blue eyes... those babies were what had truly done him in.

He had been tempted to pull on the charm, maybe make an effort to turn that hell of a day around and get his rocks off with the pretty girl from the local watering hole, but when he saw her eyes dart to somewhere just behind him he couldn't help but turn to look.

There they had been, the group of gaggling hens that called themselves housewives, and they had been staring at him without the slightest bit of secrecy. They were ogling him without a single shred of subtlety and he felt the hair at the back of his neck stand on end as if he were some sort of animal gearing up for a fight. They had no doubt already heard all about the meeting from his bitch of a soon-to-be-ex-wife that called herself Diana and were waiting for a reaction to take back to her. Hell, they might as well have been taking notes.

He laughed, a quick gust of air rushing from between his lips as he realized what he thought was going on. He turned back around and righted himself with a smirk on his lips as he locked eyes with the girl behind the bar. He crossed his arms, one over the other on top of the counter, and moved to lean forward against them. "I don't know what the _little birdies_ have told you sweetheart, but I don't want your fucking pity."

She mirrored his pose from her side of the counter, her face coming closer to his as she bent at the waist and met him at his level. "It's a good thing it's not pity then."

His eyes narrowed but they never left hers. "Your boss know you're over here giving away free drinks? I would think that something like that could get a girl in trouble."

"I was always taught that if there was a way for you to brighten someone's day then you should do it," she responded, "and from the looks of things your day's been pretty bad."

Negan took a moment to mull things over. On one hand, what she described was a little too close to pity for his tastes... on the other she was a gorgeous girl offering him a free drink and, god damn, could he ever use that today.

"What's your name, darlin'?" He asked, the smirk on his face growing slightly wider.

"Samantha. Samantha Quinn." She'd leaned in then, just a little bit more, and continued in a whisper. "And for the record, I've never put much stock in what _little birds_ tell me."

From that moment on he was hooked.

It had started innocently enough. He would greet her each and every time he stepped in to the bar with a subtle nod of his head or a quick wave of his hand when he was able to catch her eye, but as the months went on he found himself actively seeking her out upon his arrival. They spoke easily and grew comfortable with one another quickly. Before he had really had the time to process it she had grown to become his friend, his confidante... and slowly something more.

The final crack in the friendship ice had happened eight months later on the day he had coached the high school football team to victory over their rivals from Addison County. By that time most of the town had grown tired of the stale news of his infidelity and had moved on to other new and fresh local scandals. When Samantha had seen him enter the bar that day with his team she had been so happy for him. He would never admit it, his ego was too big to allow that, but being the town's social pariah had taken its toll and she could see how happy he was to be back in the fold even from where she stood across the room.

He had glanced her way as he walked in and flashed her that dashing smile. She had returned the gesture and thought that that would be the end of it, he had all but recovered what he could of his old life and he had earned back the respect of his peers with the win, he wouldn't need the ear of some chick bartender to talk to anymore. She was more surprised than she should have been when she saw him leave the company of his team and come to join her over at the bar.

"Congratulations, Coach." Samantha said as he approached her.

"What, for that?" He gestured over his shoulder at the scene behind him. "That was nothing."

"Nothing, huh?" Samantha asked as she went about filling him up a mug of his usual. She could see Candice eying the situation up from the opposite side of the bar. "Then why do you seem so pleased with yourself?"

Negan didn't respond, his grin merely widened and his tongue found the edges of his teeth. He pulled a folded piece of paper out of the inside pocket of his leather jacket and let one arm rest against the bar as he leaned forward and offered it to her between his first two fingers.

"What's that?" Samantha asked, her eyebrows raising in question. She took the proffered paper from him and he watched as she unfolded the paper, laughing as her eyes widened when she realized what it was. "Certificate of Divorce..."

"It's finalized." Negan said. "Signed and fucking all."

"Negan!" Samantha exclaimed. "I can't believe it finally happened, I'm so happy for you!"

He chuckled as he took the paper back from her and returned it to the pocket of his jacket. "It was a long time coming but, fuck! It feels great!"

"Drinks on me today," Samantha said quickly as she turned to grab a shot glass, "anything you want! What'll it be?"

He chuckled softly, his eyes lowering to the tabletop for a moment before looking back up at her. "And what if I want to buy _you_ that drink instead?"

The moment his words reached her ears she froze. Her eyes moved towards Candice and by the huge smile on her face she knew that she had heard him too. Her heartbeat quickened as she turned her eyes back to face him and she could feel the blood rushing to her face.

"I... I get off at nine tonight."

Negan's smile grew. "Then I'll see you at nine?"

She nodded. "I'll see you at nine."

The rest, as they say, was history. Negan had made his way right back on to Widow's Ridge's rumor mill and he had taken Samantha right along with him.

She had never treated him the way that the rest of the town had once news of his affair broke. Most people had been content to listen to the word on the street without any interest in hearing what he'd had to say, after a while he had stopped trying and just accepted the villain persona that had been assigned to him. He'd cheated on his wife, yeah, that much was true. He was an ass for doing it and he had deserved what happened to him in the end, but Diana wasn't quite the victim that she liked to make herself out to be either.

He groaned a gave a slight shake of his head as she pulled himself out of his little walk down memory lane. He stood from his spot on the couch, the pounding in his head immediately protesting the change to his equilibrium, and soldiered on up the stairs. His soiled shirt was off before he even hit the second floor landing and he tossed it in to the clothes hamper as he made his way through their bedroom and in to the bathroom.

"Je-sus." He mumbled as he caught sight of his reflection in the bathroom mirror. His eye had a nice, dark blue bruise surrounding it and he could see the large patch of dried blood hidden deep within his dark hair.

With a groan of defeat, he turned the shower on. Once it was warm enough he stepped under the hot, steady stream and let the water run down his body. He ran his hands through his hair and felt the sharp sting from the cut on his scalp. He probably should have gone and gotten the thing looked at, it may have warranted a stitch or two, but by the time the sheriff had let him go the last thing on his mind was seeking medical attention. As it was, he'd likely be sleeping with a towel on his pillow tonight in an attempt to not ruin the bedclothes and Samantha off even more.

By the time he got out of the shower he felt calmer, the adrenaline that had been pumping through his system all night had slowed and a wave of exhaustion had steadily taken over. He dried himself off, threw on a pair of boxers and collapsed on to the bed. He did his best to ignore the empty spot next to him as he turned on to his side to face the wall. The bed felt empty without her there and he tried like hell to ignore the awful feeling in his chest that that realization brought about.

 _Morning,_ he told himself, _everything will work itself out in the morning._

 _"911 Dispatch to Car One. Come in Car One."_

 _"Go for Car One."_

 _"We have a possible assault at Widow's Ridge Hospital. What is your location?"_

 _"I'm on Main Street right now. ETA four minutes. Over."_

 _"Car One, be advised that the suspect is a patient and highly contagious. Please follow proper protocol."_

 _"10-4." ... "Arriving on scene. Dispatch, please advise."_

 _"Car One, suspect is in Emergency 1103. That is Emergency one-one-zero-three."_

 _"Arriving on scene." ..."Dispatch, repeat message."_

 _"Emergency one-one-zero-three."_

 _..."Dispatch, room is empty. Confirm location?"_

 _"Caller disconnected before arrival."_

 _"Dispatch, stand by." ... "Dispatch, room is all clear. I repeat, room is all-"_

 _"_ _ **rrr-AAAAAWHHHHH!"**_

 _"Car One, come in Car One!"_

 _"Room not clear! Not clear!"_

 _"Car One, do you need backup?"_

 _"Car One requesting backup! Oh, shit! Ahhhh!-"_

 _ **"grrrr-RAAAAAAAA!"**_

 _"Car One, what is your condition?! Please advise!" ... "Car One? Car One!" ... "All Units, we have an officer down! I repeat, we have an officer down!"_


	3. Chapter 3

At Virtue's End  
 _ **By mothmanwearstiaras**_ _  
_ _ **-**_

 _Chapter Three: The Beginning of the End_

Negan was not having a good morning.

He had awoken to a throbbing headache that was nothing like anything he had ever felt before. He was accustomed to the occasional sting that punished him on a morning after over indulgence, he was a man who enjoyed his whiskey after all, but the beer bottle over the head that he had received from James McCallister had him in a whole new world of agony.

On top of waking up in pain, he had also woken up alone. He had grown accustomed to Samantha's soft warmth beside him every morning and her not being there had just added insult to injury... literally. He reached to grab his cell phone off ofthe nightstand and wasn't sure what he should make of the fact that she hadn't reached out to him. He knew that she was just about as stubborn as he was, if he was being honest it was one of the things that he loved about her, but he wouldn't deny the way that the silence stung.

He pulled himself out of the bed and did what he could to ignore the pounding in his head as he made quick work of another shower and threw on a pair of black jeans, a soft gray shirt that he knew was one of Samantha's favorites, and his normal pair of black boots. His original plan was to head back to her grandmother's house, to talk shit out and figure out where the fuck to go from here, but when he saw the time he decided he'd be better off meeting her at Red Oak. There was about a half an hour before her shift was scheduled to start and Russell was an old friend, he wouldn't mind if he stole his girl away for a while to set things straight.

The drive to the tavern was a short one, one that he could have easily walked but with the pain already hammering away at his head he figured he might as well take it as easy as possible. The journey took narrowly avoided the main part of town by deviating to the left and heading down past the tree line along a narrow gravel road. The tavern itself was beautiful and surrounded by a large grouping of trees that hid it almost completely from those who didn't know it was there. The back patio jutted out over the river behind it and multiple benches were spread along the parts of the river's edge that weren't covered by the structure. The old place had seen plenty of weddings throughout the years as well as its fair share of funeral parties, if there was a large gathering to be had it was a safe bet that at least a small part of it was going to be held at The Red Oak Tavern.

Negan turned in to the parking lot to the left of the building and pulled in to a spot near the back. He noticed James McCallister's Jeep still parked across the lot but didn't think much of it. Negan had left before the sheriff had finished up with him last night, he figured James must have taken him up on his offer to get checked out at the local hospital.

"Fucking pussy." Negan muttered under his breath as he exited his truck.

He walked towards the front door of the tavern and saw Russell letting in his staff to get ready for opening. He threw the other man a smile but it quickly fell from his face when he saw the way Russell stepped outside and pulled the door shut behind him when he saw him approaching.

"Negan." Russell said in greeting. "How's the head?"

He shrugged. "I've had worse."

"Quite the shiner you've got there though." Russell chuckled as he met him at the bottom of the steps that lead to the front door. The two men clasped hands before each wrapping an arm half way around the other's shoulders and giving a quick pat before separating. "You straighten things out with Samantha?"

"Nah, not yet." Negan answered. "You mind if I..." he gestured towards the door.

"Uh, yeah, about that..." Russell's hand rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck. "You think it might be better if you came back later?"

Negan's brows furrowed but it didn't take long for him to put two and two together. The truck in the parking lot, the weird way his friend was acting... "Is that mother fucker in there?"

"Yeah, he is," Russell put a hand to Negan's shoulder as he attempted to move past him, "and so are my wife and child. So is my staff."

"What the fuck, Russ?" Negan asked.

"He called me early this morning." Russell explained. "He just wants to apologize to Samantha."

"Common fucking theme around here today."

"I've got no problem with you going in there, Negan, but you've got to keep the peace. I won't have a repeat of last night." Negan shook his head. He was pissed. "You got that?"

"Yeah! Yeah, I fucking got it." Negan finally answered. "God damn, when the hell did you turn in to my fucking father?"

"I own the bar. I'm everyone's father." Russell said as he made his way back up the steps. He unlocked the front door and allowed Negan to step past him.

The bar hadn't yet opened for the day and the group of people already inside ambled about leisurely doing this and that to get ready for the lunch shift. Russell's wife, Shannon, was sitting at a table by the door with their six year old daughter Emily. The young girl was the spitting image of her father with dark green eyes and freckles scattered about her face but she had the dark brown hair from her mother's side of the gene pool. Shannon was currently trying her hardest to get her daughter to try, just try, the asparagus that sat on her plate but was very obviously getting nowhere fast with that. Another waitress, a red head girl by the name of Lindsay, was working from table to table replacing chairs to their proper places on the floor and giving each tabletop a quick once over with her soapy rag.

James McCallister sat on his own at the bar and refused to even look in Negan's direction.

Negan had more sense than to try and join James so he elected to take a seat at a tall two top table by the door. His plan was to grab Samantha first, as soon as she got in, and not give that other asshole a chance to fuck his shit up even more. The bell above the door rang out as Russell opened the door once more and Negan turned towards it in hopes that it was Samantha. Everyone was surprised when they saw it was Russell coming back inside with Red Oak's bus boy held tightly in his arms.

The young man, no older than nineteen, looked nervously around the room with tears streaming down his face from his bloodshot eyes. The entire front of his shirt was covered in thick red blood that was steadily oozing out of a large open wound at the side of his neck.

"Alex!" Shannon exclaimed from across the room. She was on her feet in an instant.

"He was stumbling down the walkway when I found him like this." Russell said quickly as he laid the young man in his arms down on the floor of the bar. "Emily, head back to Daddy's office and wait for me there, okay? Lindsay, grab the first aid kit."

The little girl didn't move an inch but Lindsay did do as she was told and grabbed the first aid kit from its spot above one of the refrigerators behind the bar. She quickly handed it off to Russell before heading towards the phone.

"There's no dial tone." Lindsay said as she held the phone to her ear.

Negan pulled his cell phone out from within his jeans pocket. "No cell reception down here either."

"We never have that." Russell said under his breath as he pulled out every gauze pad they had in the little kit.

"Alex, sweetie," Shannon said as she sat down on the floor of the bar next to the boy's head, "what happened?"

"In tt-t-tttt-town." Alex stammered. "They're just ev-everywhere!"

Negan moved towards the windows and pulled down on one of the blinds. He couldn't see anything from where they were at the bottom of the hill.

"Alex, you have to calm down." Shannon said as she removed her jacket. She folded it up and placed it beneath the boy's head like a makeshift pillow. "Look at me, look at my eyes." He did as he was told. "What happened?"

"I was walking to work and ss-ss-ssomeone just..." he trailed off. "They came out of nowhere! He... he just... he fucking bit me!"

"Bit you?"

He nodded. "It wasn't just one. There were tons of them... everywhere. I… I-I-I-"

All the group could do was watch as Alex's body began to tremble and twitch. Shannon's arms found Alex's own as she tried to hold him still. Emily screamed and Lindsay began to cry. Negan was just kneeling down next to Russell when all of a sudden everything stopped. The only sound in the room was panting, labored breaths from the group around the young man's body now laying lifelessly on the floor.

"Is he..." Lindsay couldn't finish the sentence.

"I don't know." Shannon said as she placed a hand over where Alex's heart should have been beating. "I don't feel a heartbeat but..."

"Is he breathing?" James asked. "Isn't there some type of test with a mirror?"

"Do you have a mirror on you, James?" Russell asked, the sarcasm dripping from his words.

Negan grabbed a spoon from off of the table he was kneeling beside. "Here, use this."

"Use it to what?" Russell asked.

"You stick it under his nose." Lindsay answered. "If it fogs up at all it means he's still breathing."

Shannon grabbed the spoon from Negan's hand and moved it to just below Alex's nose. The tension in the room was tangible and they could have heard a pin drop. Shannon held the spoon beneath his nose for what seemed like forever. When there was no breath to fog its surface she turned to face her husband, her head giving an almost imperceptible shake.

"What the fuck?" Russell asked as he ran a hand through his hair.

Seeing as she was the closest to her, Lindsay grabbed Emily in to her arms and turned the young girl to face away from the carnage before her. Negan rose to his feet and moved towards the bar. He quickly found a large, white plastic tablecloth and moved swiftly back to the scene near the front door. Without thinking, he handed one corner to James and the two draped it gently over the young man's lifeless body. Russell gently pulled Shannon to her feet and the rest of the group followed the two of them across the bar and over to the set of booths by the pool table. Lindsay sat Emily down in the booth next to her mother and Shannon took no time in wrapping the young girl in a tight embrace.

"What the hell happened in here?" Six pairs of eyes darted across the room to the door behind the bar leading towards the kitchen. Candice stood just inside the doorway, her brow furrowed and her hand on her hip, obviously looking for answers.

"Candice?" Russell asked, thoroughly confused as to why she was there. "How did you get in here?"

"I came in through the back. It's a beautiful day and I figured I'd take a hike through the woods."

"Where's Sam?" Negan asked.

Candice's eyes immediately went cold as she turned towards him. "She had a rough night. I offered to switch shifts with her." Her implication that Samantha's'rough night' was his fault was unmistakably clear.

"Candice," Russell said as he rose to his feet and moved towards her. He took her by the arm and lead her towards the other end of the bar as both Negan and James followed in tow. "I'm not sure how exactly I'm supposed to tell you this, but Alex... Alex just passed away... in here... on our floor."

"No, that's not possible." The girl said simply.

"Candice-"

"He's standing right there."

The three men's eyes followed to where Candice was pointing and sure enough, there was Alex standing tall no more than ten feet away from them. His breathing was rough, it almost sounded as if something had been caught in his throat, and his shoulders shook with each passing breath. His skin was an ashen gray color and his eyes were glazed over and seemed unable to focus on anything in particular.

"Alex?" Russell said calmly as he took a step towards him. Lindsay and Shannon's heads each turned towards where the young man was standing and the fear in their eyes was obvious. "Are you okay, buddy?"

Alex took a step forward, the motion much slower than it naturally should have been.

"Something isn't right." James said quietly as Russell took another step towards the boy.

Alex's jaw was moving up and down and his arms rose to reach towards Russell. "He needs a doctor or something." Russell said as he took the boy's hands in to his own. "We need to-"

Alex's sudden jolt forward caught Russell off guard and the way the young man had put all of his weight behind the lunge was enough to send Russell stumbling backwards. Negan and James were at his side before he had even hit the ground but by the time they managed to get a hold on him Alex had gotten his hands in to an unbreakable tangle within Russell's shirt. Alex's jaws slammed roughly shut and just narrowly avoided catching Russell's cheek as he pulled away.

All three men worked with all of their strength to pull Alex away from him but he simply would not let go. Every few seconds he would take another shot at biting at whatever part of Russell was the closest to him but each time Russell narrowly managed to avoid it. After the third attempt at a bite, James grabbed the boy by the hair at the back of his head while Negan went for the trophy baseball bat that had been hanging behind one of the booths for as long as he could remember. He didn't want to hurt Alex, he had never really wanted to hurt anyone, but he didn't have any other choice. Negan let the bat swing and knew the moment it collided with the boy's skull that that would be the end of it.

Alex's body hit the ground with a solid thud.

Finally free, Russell rushed back towards his wife and child and grabbed them both in to his arms.

"What the hell was that?!" Candice screamed as she ran towards where Alex now lay. Her hand rose to her mouth the moment she caught sight of him before she all but ran in the opposite direction.

One thing was for sure, Alex was definitely dead now.

Negan wasn't sure what to do, he wasn't even sure that he was thinking at all. He seemed to run on nothing but pure instinct as he swung the bat on to his shoulder and headed towards the front door.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?!" Russell yelled in a panic from across the room. "You heard him before, there's more of those things out there!"

Negan shook his head as he opened the front door. "Lock this up behind me, don't let anyone else in."

"You can't go out there!" Lindsay cried.

Without leaving time for anyone to get another word in, Negan slipped through the door and pulled it shut behind him. He ran towards his truck as he grabbed his keys from his jacket pocket. He didn't even give himself time to think as he started up the truck and tore out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell.


	4. Chapter 4

At Virtue's End  
 _ **By mothmanwearstiaras**_ _  
_ _ **-**_

Author's Note: And here we go...

 _Chapter Four:_

There was a lot to be said about the comfort and familiarity of a childhood home. Something about waking up in the same bed and being surrounded by the same four walls as when you were ten years old and your biggest worry was if Anthony Flynn merely liked you or if her 'liked you' liked you had the tendency to put her mind at ease. The pale green wallpaper was still the same as it had always been and the large four poster bed was a beautiful antique that she had been all too happy to accept as an eighth birthday present. The entire house always smelled of one delicious pastry or another and when the large bay windows at the front were open the sunshine poured in and lit the entire place up like something out of a dream.

Early April had the tendency to be a wild card as far as the weather went, one day it was bright and warm while the next could be downright cold. Today was going to be gorgeous and Samantha's grandmother had decided to spend the morning tending to her garden. They had eaten breakfast together and Samantha felt that the least she could do was tidy up and do the dishes. She refused to let her mind wander back to the night before and what had happened between her and Negan... at least for now. She had switched shifts with Candice and gotten herself an unexpected day off, she was not about to waste it wallowing away in self pity about her love life.

The sound of the front door squeaking as it was pushed open pulled Samantha out of her thoughts and back in to reality. She could just make out her grandmother's footsteps as she walked down the hallway leading towards the kitchen.

"That was quick!" Samantha called out as she grabbed a couple of paper towels from the roll by the sink and used them to dry her hands. "Hey, I was thinking about heading in to town," she called as she tossed the paper towels in to the trash can, "you should come with me! We could do some shopping and grab lunch, a good old-fashioned girl's day! What do you think?"

A sudden, strange choking sound reached her ears and Samantha was rushing towards the hallway in an instant. The sight of her grandmother had her skidding to a stop just past the doorjamb, her socked feet sliding against the hardwood floor. The first thing that caught her eye was the large wound bleeding profusely from her grandmother's left shoulder. The blood oozing out of it had covered the front of her pale yellow dress from collar to hemline and dirt from the garden was caked all over her body. Her eyes had all but lost their bright blue coloring and a dull, milky white had replaced it. Her hair had fallen from the clip she had tucked it in to earlier and was strewn wildly about her head and face.

Samantha's first reaction was to go to her, to help her in any way that she could, but something in her gut was telling her to keep her distance. If her grandmother's appearance wasn't enough of a clue that something was wrong the way she was moving would definitely do it. Her feet were shuffling awkwardly across the floor and her wounded shoulder was sagging in a way that made Samantha question if she was even able to move it.

"Gran..." Samantha whispered as her hands rose to a protective position in front of her. "Grandma, can you hear me?"

The old woman cocked her head to the side and let out a snarl as she continued shuffling forward. Samantha matched her step for step in the opposite direction. She racked her brain for any sort of explanation as to what was happening. Was she having some sort of a stroke? That wouldn't explain the wound on her shoulder... Had she been attacked? But what of her other symptoms?

"Grandma it's me. It's Samantha." Her heart skipped a beat as her heels met with the stairs to the second floor. "Gran..."

Her grandmother's pace quickened and the sudden change in her gait had Samantha fleeing up the stairs before her mind had even had a chance to process her movement. Samantha reached the second floor landing and paused for a moment, bending over the stairway's railing to look down at the scene below. She was horrified to see the woman crawling up the stairs on all fours after her. Her grandmother's shoulder sagged beneath her weight every time that she attempted to use it and her head was still cocked to the side in that wholly unnatural manner.

Samantha was trapped and the only thing she could think to do was run straight for her bedroom. She flew through the hallway as fast as her feet could carry her and slammed the door shut behind her. She fastened the lock and quickly wedged her vanity's chair beneath the handle before rushing to her nightstand and grabbing her cell phone. She dialed 911 and felt her heart sink further in to her chest as the busy signal rang loudly in her ear.

"Shit!"

She could hear the horrible, guttural sounds coming from the hallway and she knew that her grandmother would soon make it to her door. She grabbed her boots from the side of her bed and pulled them on to her feet as fast as she could. Not knowing what else to do, she opened the window and climbed out on to the roof of the porch outside of it.

Samantha crawled on her hands and knees over to the side of the house before lowering her feet to the rose terrace that covered the brick walls beneath her. Her heart skipped a beat when one of the old wooden pieces gave way under her weight but her foot quickly found purchase on the sturdier rung beneath it.

She climbed down the side of the house and hit the grass below her with a quiet thud. The moment her feet touched the ground she knew that she was not alone. Crouching down as low as she could, Samantha crept slowly along the side of the house and carefully poked her head around the corner. There were two men in the front yard and a woman on the porch; all three of them were moving in much the same way that her grandmother had been inside and had the same strange film covering their eyes. The two in the yard seemed to be meandering about with no real direction while the one on the porch was staring intently through the windows by the front door.

Samantha turned on her heel and moved towards the back of the house as quickly as she could. After peeking around the corner to make sure that it was clear she took off running through the back yard and in to the thicket of trees that lead towards the main road.

The acres of woods that surrounded her grandmother's house were dense and easy to get lost in. It had been years since she had explored them and she panicked for a moment when she realized how little she recalled of the twists and turns of their natural labyrinth. Despite her fear, she moved onward but the further she got from the house the more turned around she became.

The sight of the brook ahead of her caught her attention and she knew immediately that she was in trouble. She was headed in the complete opposite direction of where she needed to go and she fought the urge to cry out in her frustration. Her anger quickly turned to fear when she caught sight of another one of those things coming towards her from the other side of the stream. He hadn't seemed to notice her yet but she felt her panic grow nonetheless.

Samantha took cover behind a large tree and sunk down against its trunk. Her head was spinning as she looked around her for a rock, a large stick, an abandoned tool... anything she could use to defend herself if any of the creatures came too close. She found nothing and her heart began to race even faster. She was going to have to run and she knew it would draw more attention to her. If the thing across the brook didn't realize that she was there already then he would soon enough.

She took a deep breath and bolted to her left. The man beyond the brook took notice immediately and changed his course to follow her trail. In her attempt to keep the man within her line of sight, she completely missed the large fallen tree until her foot trapped itself beneath it and sent her soaring face first over top of it. Her hands rose on their own accord to break her fall but it was too late, her ankle give way with a sharp twist and she knew that she had only gotten herself in to more trouble.

She pushed herself to her feet and cried out as her ankle sagged beneath her weight. Blinding pain shot up her leg from every damaged nerve and she immediately fell back to her knees. She began to crawl as quickly as she could but she knew that the man was steadily gaining on her. She saw the loose gravel of the driveway cutting through the trees up ahead and she knew that reaching it was her only chance at survival.

Samantha forced herself back to her feet. The pain was almost unbearable and it only seemed to get worse with each passing step. Tears were streaming down her face and she let out a loud scream when she felt hands wrap around her shoulders from behind. She fell back to the ground with a sickening thud as a large weight crushed down upon her back. Running on nothing but pure impulse, she braced her hands against the ground and pushed against the creature behind her. The spur of the moment maneuver managed to earn her just enough space from her attacker for her to turn and face him.

He was on her again in an instant. His teeth chomped down and smashed together in front of her face and each snarl became louder than the one before it. She pushed against his chest with all of her might but she was no match for his full, unbridled weight bearing down on her from above. With every last bit of strength she had she pushed the man abruptly to the left. By some small miracle, he lost his balance and rolled off of her giving her one last chance to break free.

Her booted feet worked vigorously against the pain shooting up her leg. She grabbed blindly at the trees around her and used them to propel herself further along her intended path before throwing herself down in to the center of the roadway.

Tires skid to a stop and she could smell burnt rubber as the truck that had been barreling down the driveway came to a screeching halt on the gravel. She looked up just in time to see Negan jump from driver's side of the vehicle and move past her with force. A baseball bat was held firmly in his hands and he pulled it back over his shoulder as he moved steadily towards the thing in the woods behind her. She rolled on to her back as quickly as she could and watched in abject horror as he swung on the thing with all of his might.

The sound of wood breaking through bone was unmistakable and Samantha couldn't stop the scream that escaped her lips. She watched in a frozen state of shock as the man's body fell limply to the ground and settled in a bloody heap upon the grass.

The woods went silent. There were no more snarls or hurried footsteps. The only noise she heard was the sound of Negan's labored breath as turned to face her. His eyes roamed her form from top to bottom and the expression she saw on his face was a mixture of anger and determination that was wholly unfamiliar to her. She didn't dare move a muscle, she wasn't even sure if she was breathing.

"Say something." His voice was low and gruff as he reaffirmed his hold on the bat. His gaze locked with hers and her mind fought to form words. His eyes widened when she didn't respond and she saw a quick trace of fear flicker across his face; it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. "Say my fucking name, Sam!"

"Negan." Her voice was no more than a whisper but she saw the immediate relief that flooded his features.

"Fuck, doll." His words came out in a hurried exhale as he lowered the bat to his side and ran a hand through his hair in obvious relief. "I thought for sure-" Whatever he was about to say died in his throat as another piercing shriek tore through the calm and a young woman emerged from the woods across from them.

Negan turned on his heel and the bat was once again raised to the ready. "Get in the truck!" He called as he moved towards the woman.

"Negan!"

"Get in the fucking truck!"

Samantha jumped to her feet and limped towards the passenger side of the vehicle. She climbed inside with as much speed as she could muster and pulled the door shut behind her just as the sickening crack of bat to bone filled the air around her. She covered her ears and screwed her eyes shut and only opened them again when she felt the weight of the truck shift as Negan climbed inside.

"We gotta move." He said as his hand found the gear shift and swiftly put it in drive.

"You just..."

"It was them or you, Sam. I sure as shit wasn't about to let it be you." His voice cut through hers and his tone left no room for discussion. His foot hit the gas pedal and the truck momentarily peeled wheels before taking off once more in the direction of her grandmother's house.

"No!" Samantha exclaimed the moment she realized his plan.

"Your grandmother-"

"Don't go back there! She's…" Samantha didn't know how to finish that sentence but the look she saw on Negan's face as he glanced her way told her that he knew what she was saying. "She's like them."

"Fuck." He muttered softly. "Sam... baby-"

"Don't." She said sternly, her gaze rising towards the roof of the truck in an attempt to fight the tears that were forming within her eyes. This was not the time for crying. "Just... just get us out of here."

Negan didn't need to be told twice. Without another word he eased the truck to a stop before turning the wheel and taking off in the opposite direction towards town. He took the long winding road at a speed that only someone familiar with it could but as soon as they hit the main road it was time to put the pedal to the metal.

The tension in the truck was thick and they sat in silence as he drove. Samantha kept her eyes trained outside the window and tried her hardest to gather some sort of a clue as to what was happening around them. It had started off slow with one or two of those… people… wandering around the side streets but the closer they got to town the worse things proved to be.

Everywhere she looked was carnage and bloodshed, people running, their neighbors dying, and folks she had known her entire life screaming for help. Samantha turned away as she saw a woman being taken down by a small group of the monsters outside of the bakery but the view she got of three people tearing in to a man's stomach by the farmer's market was even worse.

"What the hell is going on?" She asked quietly, her voice nothing but a whisper against the roar of the engine.

"Fuck if I know." Negan answered bluntly. "Fuck if _anyone_ knows."


End file.
